Bourgeois society

Definition

Bourgeois society refers to the social class that emerged with the rise of capitalism, characterized by ownership of capital and the means of production, as well as a focus on material wealth and individualism. This class often holds significant cultural and economic power, shaping societal values and norms, which Dada and Surrealism both critiqued for their emphasis on reason and order at the expense of emotion and spontaneity.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Bourgeois society played a key role in shaping modern capitalist economies, emphasizing individual achievement, property rights, and wealth accumulation.
2. The Dada movement arose partly as a reaction against the values of bourgeois society, rejecting conventional art forms that reflected its rationality and order.
3. Tristan Tzara's manifestos often critiqued bourgeois society for its obsession with logic and reason, promoting instead chaos and spontaneity as valid forms of expression.
4. Dadaists sought to dismantle bourgeois values through absurdity and irony, which they believed stifled creativity and genuine human expression.
5. Surrealism also emerged from Dada's critique of bourgeois society, emphasizing dreams and the unconscious mind as ways to escape the constraints imposed by rational thought.

Review Questions

• How did Dada artists express their rejection of bourgeois society in their works?
  • Dada artists expressed their rejection of bourgeois society through absurdity, irony, and unconventional methods. By employing collage, performance art, and nonsensical poetry, they aimed to challenge the rationality and order that bourgeois values represented. This approach was a deliberate act of defiance against traditional artistic standards and reflected their disdain for a society they viewed as overly materialistic and conformist.
• Analyze how Tristan Tzara’s manifestos reflect the principles of Dada in relation to bourgeois society.
  • Tristan Tzara’s manifestos are critical in understanding the principles of Dada as they articulate a direct challenge to bourgeois society. He emphasizes chaos, spontaneity, and anti-art sentiments as fundamental to artistic creation, arguing against the rationalism that bourgeois culture prized. Tzara’s insistence on randomness in art serves as a rebellion against the structured norms that defined bourgeois life, encouraging a new form of expression that embraces unpredictability.
• Evaluate the impact of the critique of bourgeois society on the development of Surrealism.
  • The critique of bourgeois society significantly impacted Surrealism by shifting the focus from mere rejection to exploration of the unconscious mind. Surrealists built on Dada's anti-bourgeois sentiment but sought to delve deeper into dreams and subconscious desires as a way to challenge societal norms. This shift allowed them to create a richer narrative that not only questioned existing values but also offered new avenues for understanding human experience beyond material concerns.

Related terms

Capitalism: An economic system where private individuals or businesses own capital goods, with production and pricing determined by competition in a free market.

Proletariat: The working class who do not own the means of production and must sell their labor to survive, often contrasted with the bourgeoisie in Marxist theory.

Materialism: A tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual or intellectual values, often critiqued by artists associated with Dada and Surrealism.